Practice #19: Safety Razors
How many of you have walked down the razor aisle recently and checked out the prices of razors? I must have bought a boatload of cartridges a couple of years ago at Sam’s or Costco because I finished them a few months ago and thought, “Oh, I’ll just go grab some more next time I’m at the store.” Little did I know that, “just go grab some more” would mean I would be forking over half of my firstborn’s college tuition?! Holy crap! When did those things get so expensive?!? Well, since I have been doing this less waste endeavor, one of the switches that those who have gone before me tout is safety razors. No time like the present, right? I had been holding off because 1) I still had cartridges from that wholesale run I made from a couple of years ago in anticipation of the apocalypse and didn’t want to waste them and 2) the same reason I didn’t include them in the “four simple switches” post… there seems to be an art to them. So like so many of the opportunities for less waste I have encountered, I decided to just jump and come what may.
Turns out, it wasn’t really that big of a deal. I bought the Merkur Long Handle Safety Razor along with a box of 100 double edge razor blades (because again, that apocalypse) for a grand total of $30. With the rate I go through razors, I’m anticipating this to last me about 3 years. (Seriously, I did the math.) Much better than $20 for 3 (yes, THREE!) cartridges. So by now, I’m sure you all are wondering how it’s working for me (or so I assume since you’re still reading this). Let me tell you by answering some questions.
1) Have you cut yourself? Yup. Once. A big ol slash up my calf when I wasn’t paying attention. However, it wasn’t a big deal. It stopped bleeding by the time the shower was over. A word to the wise, you actually have to pay attention to what you’re doing when you use razors like this. You can’t just let your mind wander.
2) Why is this an art form? I’m by no means an expert in this type of shaving (there are some very passionate men and women out there when it comes to these) but from what I’ve found, you have to think about the angle of the blade (30 degrees), contours, pressure (let the weight of the razor move it, don’t press down) and where the blade goes. It’s not on a flexible head like typical razors found in stores and the blade doesn’t have any guards so it might take you a minute or two longer than your usual shaving session if you want to do it right or you don’t want it to look like a scene from Psycho on your shower floor. If it’s been a while between shaves, you also might have to do your first pass by going with the grain of the hair and let your second pass go against.
3) How is the shave? It’s really smooth and the hair that grows back is softer. I kid you not. I didn’t believe it when I first heard that but after I tried it, it’s legit. I read it has something to do with the fact there there’s only one blade so the hair gets a more precise slice.
4) Does Andrew use it? Nope, he belongs to one of those cheap shave clubs but I have hope that someday we will be safety blade buddies! In another life he was a lawyer so I always have to state my cases with him before he can be persuaded and right now he’s not sure he wants to give up an extra minute or two of sleep for the sake of the environment. That and the fact that he’s usually pretty tired in the morning when he shaves, he thinks he will end up a bloody mess. (also, when I just asked him what kind of questions he would have for me if I just showed him this razor for the first time his response was, “Does it actually work? How much more of a pain is this going to be for me?” To be fair though, those are the 2 questions he always asks when I approach him with a new idea.) I’m not giving up, though! 2017 is the year!
5) How is this less waste? The razors are made of steel so… You collect them in a “sharps bank” and take them to a center that recycles steel sharps! I hope to have a post next week about how to make a sharps bank for less than a buck. They hold a LOT of razors so you just spend a year accumulating the razors and then take them to the center at the end. I understand the draw of those shave clubs but if you take into account the transportation/packaging each month and the fact that the cartridges aren’t recyclable, they do add a bit more waste. Just something to think about. As with everything I post about, do with it as you will.
6) Does it shave all areas? Yes
7) Can you fly on a plane with it? No. So don’t throw your old razor out yet.
I hope this was informative and answered some questions you might have about less waste shaving. You probably didn’t even know you HAD questions about less waste shaving, did you? And how fancy is that soap dish, by the way? It’s no bottom of a milk carton, that’s for sure! Thankfully I grabbed that a few months back before I decided not to buy stuff anymore.
Happy Friday!